Breaking Boundaries: World Bank Reveals Staggering Gender Gap in Workplace Rights and Opportunities for Women

A groundbreaking report from the World Bank Group reveals that the global gender gap for women in the workplace is much wider than previously understood.

When factoring in legal distinctions related to violence and childcare, women experience less than two-thirds of the rights afforded to men. Notably, no country, including the wealthiest economies, ensures equal opportunities for women.

The latest Women, Business, and the Law report, as disclosed by the World Bank to Nairametrics, paints a comprehensive picture of the challenges hindering women's entry into the global workforce, impacting their ability to contribute to prosperity for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Expanding its analysis, the report introduces two critical indicators—safety from violence and access to childcare services—significantly affecting women's choices. With these considerations, women, on average, only enjoy 64% of the legal protections compared to men, a substantial decrease from the previous estimate of 77%.

The report emphasizes that the gender gap is even more pronounced in practical terms. For the first time, Women, Business, and the Law assess the disparity between legal reforms and actual outcomes for women across 190 economies, revealing a shocking implementation gap. While laws suggest that women have about two-thirds of men's rights, countries, on average, have established less than 40% of the necessary systems for full implementation.

Notably, the report points out that despite 98 economies enacting legislation mandating equal pay for women's work of equal value, only 35 of them—less than one in five—have adopted measures like pay transparency or enforcement mechanisms to address the gender pay gap.

The effective implementation of equal-opportunity laws relies on a robust supporting framework, encompassing strong enforcement mechanisms, systems for tracking gender-related pay disparities, and the availability of healthcare services for women who survive violence, notes the report.

Indermit Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Senior Vice President for Development Economics, emphasizes the transformative power of women in bolstering the global economy. However, discriminatory laws and practices worldwide impede women from working or starting businesses on an equal footing with men. Closing this gap could potentially raise global gross domestic product by more than 20%, essentially doubling the global growth rate over the next decade.

Despite strides in equal-opportunity laws, the report highlights an implementation gap even in countries making efforts. For instance, Togo stands out among Sub-Saharan economies, granting women about 77% of the rights available to men. However, Togo has only established 27% of the necessary systems for full implementation, an average rate for Sub-Saharan economies.

In 2023, governments made assertive strides in advancing legal equal-opportunity reforms, focusing on pay, parental rights, and workplace protections. However, most countries performed poorly in areas newly tracked—access to childcare and women's safety. Notably, the weakness is most pronounced in women's safety, with a global average score of just 36, meaning women barely enjoy a third of the needed legal protections against domestic violence, sexual harassment, child marriage, and femicide.

The report underscores the urgency to reform laws and enact public policies empowering women to work, start businesses, and participate in decision-making. With barely half of women participating in the global workforce compared to nearly three-quarters of men, increasing women's economic participation is crucial for amplifying their voices and influencing decisions directly affecting them. The report concludes that countries cannot afford to sideline half of their population.